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Michigan Hospital Designated ‘Baby Friendly’

DETROIT (CBS Detroit) Looking for a place to get comfy with your new baby? Think about William Beaumont Hospital in Grosse Pointe, which is the only hospital in the state designated as “Baby Friendly” by the group Baby-Friendly USA.

Baby-Friendly, which is sponsored by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund, recognizes hospitals that provide a high level of care and education for breastfeeding mothers and their babies.

“Our nurses and physicians have worked persistently to achieve this prestigious, international designation,” said Jeanne Lewandowski, M.D., chief of Pediatrics at Beaumont Grosse Pointe. “The Baby Friendly initiative demonstrates Beaumont’s commitment to practices that lead to improved health outcomes for babies and mothers in our community.”

There are more than 20,000 designated Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers worldwide. Currently, there are 138 active Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers in the United States. While Beaumont, Grosse Pointe is the only hospital in the state to receive the designation, Beaumont Heath Systems said it is working to achieve Baby-Friendly status at its hospitals in Troy and Royal Oak.

Beaumont Grosse Pointe supports breastfeeding through “The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding for Hospitals,” as outlined by UNICEF and WHO.

The steps include: following a policy that is routinely communicated, educating expecting mothers about breastfeeding, helping initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth and teaching women how to maintain lactation. The Ten Steps encourage breastfeeding on demand and “rooming in” – to allow mothers and babies to remain together, as well as referring mothers to breastfeeding support upon discharge.

Unless medically indicated, no food, drink (other than breast milk) or artificial nipples are to be given to breastfeeding infants.